On 28th March 2022 local birder David Bevan was checking out the shallow pools at Marlow Low Grounds when he came across an unusual dabbling duck. Unsure of the ID he sent a still photo to a local birding group and this started a discussion and ended up with the various people involved visiting the site to see this interesting bird.
The bird remained on the same shallow pool for the rest of the day and news was put out that it was a Blue-winged Teal. Over twenty birders managed to see the bird before dark. The bird moved to an adjacent larger pool the following morning and was somewhat harder to view and continued to attract birders. At the time of writing (30th March) the bird was still present.
The bird is thought by some to be a female Blue-winged Teal although the plumage is not typical and others suggest that it is a hybrid. The species is a BBRC rarity and we will have to wait for their decision on whether the bird is in fact a Blue-winged Teal and not considered an escape (The species can be difficult to separate from Cinnamon Teal). The bird is un-ringed so there is nothing to suggest that the bird is an escape. If accepted by BBRC this will be a first record for Buckinghamshire.
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